Illusion
by Laurus Nobilis
Summary: Pakku tries his best to impress Kanna, but it never seems to work.


**Illusion**

Pakku slid down the ice with studied grace, created moving platforms on the surface of the canal, skated from sidewalk to sidewalk again and again. The ice disappeared as soon as his feet moved, as if it had never been there in the first place. He stood on a narrow pillar in the middle of the canal and brought tall waves up to where he was standing, higher even. He made the water dance like a fountain, there under the full moon. He made it shine and move and freeze and melt again, and it was beautiful, almost as beautiful as Kanna's eyes.

Then, when he thought he had done enough, he looked up to the bridge to see those eyes and the expression on them. He wanted to amaze her, to win her heart through his talent; or, at the very least, to make her have a good time. Kanna rarely smiled. But then his gaze met hers, and he felt almost as if he had just fallen into the freezing canal beneath him.

She was _bored_. She was resting her arms on the edge of the bridge, and she looked perhaps at him, perhaps past him. Pakku couldn't help but frown.

"You didn't like it."

"You're a powerful Waterbender," she said. "I know. I never argued that."

"I wasn't doing it to show off," he muttered, although he knew deep down that he _was_, on some level at least. "I just wanted to show you something nice."

He made the pillar sink until he was standing on the water's surface again, slid towards the bridge, and then brought up another pillar to be on eye level with Kanna. She still wasn't impressed. In a fit of courage – and improvisation – he held out his hand towards her.

"Come with me," he told her. She stared at him as if he had just gone mad.

"I'm not a Waterbender," she reminded him. "And even if I _were_, they wouldn't have taught me how to do all those tricks and elaborate moves. I'd be a healer, whether I liked it or not."

Pakku pointedly ignored the second part of her answer. She could be so hard to deal with, sometimes. But this wasn't the moment to argue about tradition and women's place. He wanted this night to be _romantic_. Why did she find it so difficult to enjoy herself?

"I'll do all the work," he insisted. "You just need to take my hand. Please."

Kanna tried to hold back a sigh and didn't quite succeed. She swung her legs over the bridge's edge, stepped onto the ice pillar, and held his hand. There was no affection in the gesture; it was clear that she did it only because she had to. But Pakku didn't let that deter him. He grasped her hand a little tighter, and smiled at her. She looked away.

This time it was him who couldn't hide his sigh as he brought them down towards the canal's level. Then, feeling inspired, he lowered the ice beneath them just a little more, so that there was a small layer of water above it. It looked as if they were standing on the surface itself. He grinned at her and took her for a walk on the middle of the canal, slowly at first, then faster as he noticed that Kanna had a firm step and no fear. They were almost running by the time they reached the corner.

"Isn't it wonderful?" he asked, encouraged by the gleam in her eyes. Perhaps she was, at long last, having a bit of fun. "It's like we're walking on the water."

"It's an illusion," she replied. The gleam disappeared.

This wasn't going to work, Pakku realized. This was the closest to making her happy that he was going to get, at least tonight. It was time to do what he had come here to do, and hope it went well. The situation wasn't going to get any better and, if he kept wasting time, it might even get worse. He slowed down and took Kanna to the sidewalk, where they both stood side by side. There was a moment of silence, and then he brought a small object out of his pocket.

"I've made this for you," he said simply, suddenly at a loss for better words.

Kanna took the necklace and looked at it. For a long moment, she just stared and stared, as if she couldn't believe what she was holding in her hand.

"Thank you," she said at last. "It's… nice."

It took another moment for Pakku to notice that she wasn't going to put it on. She still seemed shocked, confused, looking like she didn't know what to do with it. With a small smile, he took it from her hand and gently tied it around her neck. Then he leaned forwards, his heart beating madly, knowing that he was finally going to kiss her for the very first time…

And she stepped back before he could reach her lips.

She hadn't done it out of spite. That was what hurt the most. He could tell that it had been a reflex, a reaction that she hadn't controlled or even thought about. For a few seconds, they just stood there, staring at each other, until Pakku found his voice again.

"Don't you _want_ to marry me, Kanna?"

"No one cares about what I want," she whispered, and then she turned around and walked away.


End file.
